


Erosion

by shimotsuki



Series: Light the Corners of My Mind [7]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Marauders Era (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 02:00:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20788733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shimotsuki/pseuds/shimotsuki
Summary: March 1979: Remus is moving, and James is sulking, because he really isn't fond of change.





	Erosion

James yawned, a giant, jaw-cracking yawn. It was _too bloody early_ to be up, dressed, and plodding along a deserted Diagon Alley—Saturdays were for sleeping late, like the rest of the world certainly seemed to be doing. And it was cold and drizzly. Not unusual for the last day of March, but not exactly pleasant.

But Remus had said eight o'clock, so here James was, right on time. Because Moony was moving, and he was going to help.

He didn't have to like it, though.

James scowled at the perfectly innocent Cleansweep Eight in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies as he trudged past. Of course Remus had every right to move whenever and wherever he pleased. But this meant things were going to _change._ They wouldn't all be living in wizarding London, spending half their nights at each others' flats, meeting up in their favourite pub without even making plans. 

Okay, granted, things were going to change this summer anyway, after the wedding, when he and Lily moved out to the cottage in Godric's Hollow. But why did Remus have to go and change things _first?_

James turned a corner near Flourish and Blotts and stopped outside a cheery green door just off Diagon Alley. He placed the tip of his wand against one of the dozen brass buttons on the wall, the one that read R. LUPIN, and waited for Moony to cast the Guest Charm and let him in.

The green door swung open. James took the stairs two at a time up to the first floor, just as he always did.

Remus was standing in his doorway, watching for him. "All right, Prongs? Thanks for coming." His smile was a little apologetic. "Bit nasty out, really. I've got water on for tea—come in and get warm."

James looked around as he sipped his tea, sighing to himself. He liked Moony's flat, with the warm oaken floors and the tall sunny windows. Remus had been so proud, leaving Hogwarts for his dream job at the Institute for Magizoology, and hiring this flat with his first paycheck. True, his boss had gradually noticed a certain pattern in his sick days, and had finally sacked him right before Christmas (heartless bastard!). But Remus had bounced right back, finding a job as an assistant at a magical pet clinic just after the new year.

"I'm sorry it's so early, but I've got to be out by noon, or I'll owe them for April." Remus smiled another apology. "I thought maybe we'd start by Shrinking the furniture."

James nodded, setting the teacup down. Casting Shrinking Charms on large objects was best done in pairs. "Did you move the rest of it by yourself already?" One of the two sofas was missing, and the coffee table, and both of the squashy armchairs.

"No," said Remus, turning away to pick up his wand. "The new place is a little smaller, so I sold a few things."

James squinted. Come to think of it, there were a lot of empty spaces on the bookshelves, too. He smirked. He'd never seen Moony part with a single book before. Was the sky falling, by chance?

They worked together smoothly, as always, Shrinking everything they could, and packing two boxes full of books that were too magically delicate to Shrink.

"I guess that's about it," said Remus at last. "Let's take everything to the new flat, and then come back here to clean."

They piled their pockets full of Shrunken things, and each of them hefted one of the boxes of books. Their footsteps echoed strangely as they crossed the empty room.

James puffed, matching Remus's brisk pace as they hurried along Diagon Alley. The new place must be a real winner, if he was in this much of a rush to get there. "Where are you moving to, anyway?"

"Sheffield."

James frowned again. That was farther away than he'd expected. "Why Sheffield?" He shifted the box of books to his other hip. "Do you follow the Muggle news at all? There's been a lot going on up there lately."

"I know." Remus didn't elaborate. 

James shrugged to himself. He'd be able to get more of the story out of old Moony the next time they were all sharing a bottle of firewhiskey.

They slowed as they approached the brick courtyard outside the Leaky Cauldron, which was the customary Apparition point for Diagon Alley. James rather thought they could have just left from right outside Remus's flat—they were carrying boxes of books, for Merlin's sake—but Remus was too well-mannered for that. 

"You ready, Prongs?"

James got a good tight grip on Remus's arm and screwed his eyes shut. Damn, but he hated Side-Along. 

Remus counted to three, and they Disapparated. 

The crack of their Apparition echoed damply in a narrow alley filled with rubbish bins, some valiantly dented in the line of duty and others on their sides—fallen soldiers, scattering their rubbish across the rain-soaked pavement.

"Welcome to Sheffield." Remus grinned at him.

James let go of Remus's arm and took a deep breath, to make perfectly sure that his insides were no longer being squashed together. 

He was immediately very sorry. 

His sleep-deprived nose was rudely assaulted by engine exhaust, rotting vegetables, and, well, the scent of what men who've been out drinking all night do in rubbish-filled alleys. 

It made sense, though. Apparating into Muggle areas was dodgy at best; of course Remus would pick someplace so foul no one would be likely to be there when they arrived. "Is it far to your flat from here, then?"

"No, not at all," said Remus, leading the way out of the alley, past a scrawny cat who hissed at them for disturbing its nap. "It's just here." 

James looked up at the dingy yellow building that loomed over them. It was splattered with graffiti, and the bricks missing from its facade here and there made him think of the gap-toothed grin of a hag. 

Diagon Alley, this was not. 

What was Moony _doing,_ moving to a place like this?

If anything, the smell was worse inside. Old boiled cabbage, wet dog ... and more of the distinct whiff of ammonia that had permeated the alley. The stairway was dark, fitfully illuminated by one bare bulb dangling from the ceiling at each landing. James tried to breathe through his mouth as he followed Remus up four flights.

"Here we are," said Remus brightly, turning a Muggle key in the lock. "Four-oh-seven." He pushed the door creakily open, closing it again behind them with his hip before setting his box of books on the floor.

James put his own box down and stretched his shoulders, looking around. The flat seemed to be one single room, not very large, with a small kitchenette in one corner. Paint was peeling from the ceiling in a few places, and the floor was cracked lino in a hideous shade of orange. Except where it had faded to an even more repulsive yellow.

But it was spotless—not a speck of dirt to be seen anywhere. And no smells. It figured—this was Moony, after all.

"Been here already, to clean?" James nudged the box of books with his toe.

"Yeah." Remus laughed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Took me longer than I thought, too—that's why today's a bit of a rush, moving out of the old place." He began pulling miniaturized furniture out of his pockets, and James did the same.

The orange lino really offended his sensibilities. Why on earth had Moony given up the flat he loved in the middle of Diagon Alley to come live in _Sheffield,_ in this dump that was so small he had to sell off most of his furniture and half his books?

Wait. _Sell off..._

James had been born with a silver wand in his fist, and he was used to having things, anything, whatever he wanted—except Lily Evans, for a while, but now that was straightened out too. Worrying about money was alien to him, so it generally wasn't the first thing he thought of when he was casting about for explanations of other people's behaviour.

But he wasn't stupid, either.

_Sheffield._ Where lots of Muggles were out of work—suggesting an abundance of cheap places to live. And the exchange rate was currently favouring the Galleon, so paying in Muggle money would make the actual rent even cheaper.

"Moony." He straightened up and waited until Remus turned to face him. "You've been sacked again, haven't you?"

Remus raised his chin, but James could see that his jaw was clenched, too.

"I'll be fine. I'm sure I'll find another job in no time." He shrugged. "I just have to be careful how I manage things, is all."

"Listen." James scratched his ear, not entirely sure how to go on. "If it gets really bad, you know you can always move in with me, like Sirius did."

"Thanks." Remus smiled, the stiff little smile he used when he'd really rather change the subject. "But you're getting married in a few months. I'm hardly going to get in the way of a pair of newlyweds!"

"You wouldn't be in the way," James started, but Remus cut him off.

"This flat is _fine,_ and I'm sure I'll find another job soon." The smile relaxed into a real one. "But thank you, James. I mean it." 

James really admired that about Remus—he took such a philosophical attitude toward all the obstacles life managed to throw at him. Most of the time, anyway. Lily had found him in a pretty bad state when he'd been sacked at Christmas; she'd had to talk him out of giving up on hope altogether. But that really hadn't been _like_ him, at all.

James helped Remus un-Shrink his furniture and settle it cautiously on the ugly lino. At least he wasn't giving up this time—he was facing this ugly old flat with fortitude and marching bravely off into the fray to...to wrest another job from the clutches of destiny. Good old Moony!

"This will do nicely." Remus dusted off his hands and looked around his new flat with a smile of satisfaction.

Only, it didn't quite reach his eyes.

—_fin_—

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at the **redandthewolf** community on LiveJournal in April 2008. Many thanks to the mods, **bratanimus** and **lady_bracknell**.


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